If you don’t get satisfactory answers to these questions, you’re likely buying tech-debt and security risks disguised as software. 

For over a decade, Gooten has operated one of the largest, most diverse print-on-demand networks in the world. We’ve shipped tens of millions of items across nearly every product category, scaled into new regions, and handled nearly every fulfillment edge case you can imagine. And through that, one thing has become clear:

Over the last decade, Gooten has operated deep in print-on-demand: fulfilling millions of items, supporting recognizable brands, and navigating the complexity of made-to-order production at scale.

We’ve seen the pain points: brittle integrations, misrouted orders, exception overload, production blackouts, inconsistent SKU data, and hours lost to spreadsheets just to move orders from acceptance to shipment. The takeaway is simple: print-on-demand isn’t hard for businesses to use because of the printing. It’s hard because of inadequate infrastructure and technology.

That’s why we built OrderMesh.

OrderMesh wasn’t a side project for Gooten. It was the biggest bet we ever made that started in 2021.

As our fulfillment network expanded and enterprise customers demanded more flexibility and operational intelligence, our legacy Gooten systems couldn’t keep pace. We didn’t need another patch—we needed new infrastructure.

We needed something modern and API-first, with platform security rigorous enough to withstand enterprise compliance vetting. Something purpose-built for print’s complexity and a system that would make a print-on-demand expert say “this was built by someone who knows this space.”

That’s what OrderMesh delivers. It’s the most strategic investment we’ve made as a company, and it now forms the foundation for Gooten as part of Taylor Corporation.

In January 2025, we outlined key predictions for the print-on-demand industry: continued consolidation, AI’s operational evolution, B2B market expansion, and the maturation of social commerce. Twelve months later, it’s time to assess those predictions against what actually happened and what will shift in 2026.

Dear Customers and Partners,

When we started Gooten, our goal was straightforward: make print-on-demand accessible at scale. That mission hasn’t changed. How we power it has.

Over the last decade, we’ve worked with thousands of merchants and shipped millions of orders. We’ve seen what works and what breaks when you scale print-on-demand across a global supply chain.

The lesson has been consistent: this market doesn’t need more production capacity or another dashboard. It needs infrastructure—infrastructure that makes global vendor networks manageable, eliminates manual order interventions, connects all types of systems without custom development, and improves with use.

That’s why we built OrderMesh, a cloud-native order management platform designed as the operating system for global print-on-demand fulfillment. OrderMesh already powers enterprises in print, including our parent company, Taylor Corporation. The system connects brands, marketplaces, decorators, printers, and distributors, orchestrating how orders move across facilities, print methods, and systems.

Fulfilling custom products faster, smarter, and with unmatched reliability.

For years, growing businesses have faced a difficult choice in the print on demand industry: Do you want speed or do you want reliability? Technology platforms offered agile integrations but often relied on fragmented production networks. Large-scale manufacturers delivered consistency but lacked the software to move at the speed of e-commerce. Getting both speed and reliability from a single partner seemed impossible.

That compromise is now over.

Gooten’s acquisition by Taylor Corporation marks a pivotal moment for the on-demand economy. By combining our powerful OrderMesh technology platform with Taylor’s formidable US manufacturing footprint, we are creating a new standard. This partnership is engineered to solve the core challenges of scale, complexity, and fulfillment so you can focus on what you do best: building your brand. It’s about giving our customers a smarter, more dependable way to do business.

NORTH MANKATO, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Taylor Corporation today announced the acquisition of Gooten, Inc., a leading print on demand technology and fulfillment provider. The Gooten technology platform, OrderMesh, along with Gooten’s growing fulfillment network will now be combined with Taylor’s national manufacturing footprint and global technology development expertise. This transaction will allow both companies to dramatically accelerate their print on demand market position.

In the world of print-on-demand, customer experience isn’t shaped at checkout—it starts far earlier. Every choice you make about fulfillment partners, routing logic (how orders are automatically assigned to facilities), and supply chain readiness directly affects whether your customers become loyal fans, or end up somewhere else.

If you’re considering a partner for print-on-demand, here’s why proactive, reliable operations are the foundation of brand loyalty—and how working with the right team makes all the difference.

We live in a state of constant flux. One day we’re holding our breath over interest rate shifts; the next, we’re navigating the whiplash of new tariff policies. American consumers themselves are adjusting with what can only be described as vibe-based budgeting—44% admitting their spending fluctuates based on how they’re feeling that day. And in a world where your feed dictates which brands to support—or boycott—it’s no surprise that businesses are struggling to find stable footing.

These aren’t abstract threats. As consumers, we feel the tension. As business leaders, we need to respond strategically.

In print-on-demand (POD), resilience means more than having backup suppliers—it’s about building systems that anticipate failure, flex with demand, and recover faster than your competitors. It’s having the team in place that can see the signals through the noise and make mission-critical decisions in real time. You can’t control every disruption—but you can control how prepared you are to adapt.

Having worked across POD, marketplaces, and retail for over two decades, I’ve seen a LOT: port or shipping carrier strikes, vendor bankruptcies, cyberattacks, hurricanes, and once (years ago)—even a production backlog caused by something as simple as product image files uploading too slowly. But every year brings a new disruption. Resilience is no longer a luxury—it’s the price of staying in the game.

Just a few years ago, print-on-demand was largely marketed as a side-hustle solution — a low-risk way for creators, artists, and entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life without holding inventory. The messaging focused on the basics: What is POD? How does it work? Who can use it? It catered to individuals—YouTubers, Etsy sellers, designers—looking for supplemental income or creative expression.

But today, the conversation has shifted. The most forward-thinking brands are using print-on-demand not as a novelty, but as an infrastructure layer. It’s a tool for scaling product launches, testing new markets, expanding SKUs with minimal overhead, and de-risking fulfillment—especially in industries where speed, customization, and supply chain flexibility are key.

The real questions now are more strategic and more pressing:
Who truly benefits from print-on-demand? How can it unlock growth, adaptability, and resilience? And why has it become an operational advantage across industries that never previously considered it?

This shift represents the maturation of an entire industry. Print-on-demand has graduated from a niche solution for independent creators to a scalable business model that’s reshaping how companies across multiple sectors approach inventory, customization, and customer fulfillment.